Calling all Brooklyn-class (CL-40) fans

[TZoli]

Looks like my reply disappeared in one of the error and sql error pages the site is having.

Yes I've noticed their colour sxheme is something like a light haze grey one which is basically white in very good light conditions, so I will stay with that. Fortunately there are colour photos of her in the 1980's showing the colour mix of the camo pattern.

[TZoli]

These are my drawings on USS Brooklyn/O'Higgins trough the years:
1937:
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/US ... 1310354109

Late 1941/Early 1942-ish:
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/US ... 1310728290

Late 1942:

Mid 1943:
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/US ... 1311087366

Around 1945:
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/US ... 1311459216

In Chilean Service:
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/Ch ... 1311814037
In 1951/52:

1963:

1978:

[Dick J]

You do beautiful work, but I do have a couple of nitpicks. First, as built, the first 4 Brooklyn's had the open topped version of the MK-33 director. The later 3 were built with the fully enclosed MK-33's. CL's 40, 41 & 43 had the fully enclosed version installed in 1943 (whether new equipment or a conversion of the original directors, I don't know.) Savannah had the open topped directors when she was hit by the Fritz-X, and was rebuilt with MK-37's. Brooklyn and Philadelphia had the hull blisters installed in 1945, but didn't have the 5" gun/MK-37 upgrade that Savannah and Honolulu received. That can be seen in the main deck 5" gun tubs which no longer extended beyond the hull sides.

[maxim]

Here a view of the three Chilean cruisers in 1978 - on the right is O'Higgins (ex USS Brooklyn) with the much wider hull because of the torpedo blisters compared to her sistership Capitán Prat (ex Nashville) without them in the middle.

Here, you can see the positions of the 5" gun tubes relative to the hull side because of the wider hull of O'Higgins. Also clearly visible is the rear of the torpedo blister:

The rear of the torpedo blister is also visible here:

[TZoli]

I thought they got a simple Torpedo Bulge but as I did not seen on any photo the characteristic bulges I thought this was an error. So the entire hull is widened???

Also I cannot find any drawings of the open Mark 33 director, and all photos I've seen either not show the ship from aerial view to see the top of the AA directors, too far away or not high quality photo to notice anything or already shows the closed director.

[maxim]

Yes, the bulges are up to the level of the upper deck going up from the waterline in something like a 90° angle. In effect, the entire hull is widened.

As Dick J wrote, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Savannah, and Honolulu got them.

There is a 1/700 kit of Philadelphia with these bulges:
https://www.nikomodel.pl/index.php/PL/2 ... iladelphia

and of Savannah:
https://www.nikomodel.pl/index.php/PL/2 ... cl-42-1944

Here my Savannah compared to Nashville:


And Savannah, Nashville and Helena:

USS Savannah (1/700, Niko Model)

[Dick J]

https://www.navsource.net/archives/04/034/0403412.jpg
The link goes to an image of the MK-28 director on the Astoria. The MK-33 was essentially a MK-28 with power drives. Because of the power drives, the MK-33 could carry more weight, like radar, wind baffles or getting fully enclosed. The MK-28 was hand cranked, and so limiting weight was critical for it to be maneuvered fast enough to track the aircraft it was targeting. But externally, the two director types were visually similar.

[TZoli]

Okay, I've fixed the Mark 33 directors (Able to find a 3D model and 3 views here: https://www.swordfishmodels.com/product ... ly-version ) and the widened hull post 1945:

[TZoli]

I've also made a drawing of St. Louis as commissioned in 1939 with the likeliest spots for the 0.5" Browning Machine Guns.
https://www.deviantart.com/tzoli/art/US ... 1313001544

[GregoryC]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to figure out CL-50 Helena's signal flags, particularly the ones that were flown during her final remodel/engagement at Kula Gulf.

I was also curious as to when Helena lost her green "Cruiser Division 9" ID stripes on her #2 and #4 turrets. It seems that she still had the stripes in June of 1942.




I was unable to find too much on the subjects, would anybody be able to point me in the right direction?

Hey all, I am finishing up a 1/700 USS Helena, and I just noticed something I found quite interesting. I could be wrong, but it appears that Helena kept these turret markings right up to the time of her loss.
At first I figured that they were painted out as mentioned in this thread already, but when I was zooming in on the somewhat famous photo of her right before her loss to figure out her rigging, I noticed something rather interesting. Notice how the coloration on turret #2 lines up exactly with the white and willow green stripes from the picture above, with both life rafts from what I can tell having the exact matching coloration, with both being white and a different color. Again, I could be wrong, or perhaps this was already noticed, but it would seem that Helena retained her turret markings right up until her loss. Wanted to share for others thoughts before I paint them accordingly.

[taskforce48]

I would say more than likely by the time she got to the SoPac she would have had them painted out. This picture from the Australian War memorial seems to show the turret tops a uniform dark color. We see images of the Vincennes operating off of Hawaii in July still with her turret stripes but photos of her wreck seem to indicate solid color turrets tops as well.

Matt

[GregoryC]

I would say more than likely by the time she got to the SoPac she would have had them painted out. This picture from the Australian War memorial seems to show the turret tops a uniform dark color. We see images of the Vincennes operating off of Hawaii in July still with her turret stripes but photos of her wreck seem to indicate solid color turrets tops as well.
0405048.jpg
Matt

Which is fair enough, I was presuming that as well when I painted mine, and the photo above while grainy does not seem to have them.

I guess my question is how would that explain the coloration on the life rafts I point out in the photo I posted? The colors seem to me to line up with her turret markings exactly, with the nearer one being almost all white to the point that I overlooked it and a much darker color on the end, and the farther one almost all a much darker color with a bit of white on the front. Its a bit obscured by my markings, but when one looks at the original photo the turret periscope is also noticeably dark than the other two turrets. They fit the turret markings to a 'T', and it would seem rather strange, as that should not be the case if they were just repainted, at least to me.

[GregoryC]

I also should add, during my research on this, I discovered that Honolulu seems to have carried turret markings until/in 1943 as a part of the same force. If you go to :14 seconds in to this film, it shows the roof of Turret #4 of the Honolulu, and it has a dark red circle of all things on it. Its not from AI, and I admit that it is possible that it was added in colorization of the film, but the film is a part of a series of shots around the time of Kula Gulf that is original color from what I have found, and it shows the red disk on Honolulu's turret as it pans to St. Louis and Helena on maneuvers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM4kcoHeVtk

[taskforce48]

That is an interesting observation! A brazen move to carry a red circle painted on your turret top in that era and area of the war, for either side. So possibility then remains I suppose but feel like the Helena did not based on the aforementioned picture. As for the late 42/early 43 image you posted, it is a possibility then she still had the markings as painting rafts would not be hard, just again surprising with the focus on camouflage from the air being a priority.

Matt